The Backyard Edition of ShowSim is intended for amateur fireworks enthusiasts who design elaborate backyard shows for their own enjoyment. This low-cost version contains nearly all the features of the professional versions, only with a few key limitations that limit its use in commercial shows. Among these restrictions is a maximum cue limit of 300, a maximum shell size of 3”, fewer reports and a limited set of supported firing systems. These limitations should not effect backyard hobbyists building shows from legal consumer fireworks however.

Note that this software can also be used by firework manufacturers as a way to prototype shells and get the timing right before actually building them. You can experiment with different colors and effects at the comfort of your computer while getting a better feel for what the final product will look like. The 3" size limitation does not apply when working within the shell editor, so you can apply any burst height and star velocity you want when inside the editor without the program limiting it to 3" max the way it will when working outside the editor. This exception was created specifically for builders who want to prototype shells of any size.

Firing systems currently supported in the backyard edition:

Cobra

Pyro Ignition Control file format

Merlin

Dewy

ODA Systems

The dongle method of licensing is not available for the Backyard Edition, which means the software is locked to a single computer. Switching the license to a new computer requires a license reset request via email.